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FILE - In this June 30, 2015, file photo, Jennifer Wonnacott holds her son, Gavin, as he points to a sign showing supporters of a measure requiring nearly all California school children to be vaccinated, at a news conference after the State Bill 277 was signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in Sacramento, Calif. State health officials say the number of measles cases in 2019 is up in California with cases stretching across 11 counties and affecting patients from 5 months to 55 years of age. Dr. Karen Smith, director of the California Department of Public Health, says more than 76% of patients were not vaccinated or didn't receive the recommended two doses of vaccine. Fourteen of those infected had traveled overseas to countries including Philippines, Thailand, India and Ukraine. Measles symptoms include high fever, a cough and a rash.

FILE - In this Feb. 6, 2015, file photo, a flyer educating parents about measles is displayed on a bulletin board at a pediatrics clinic in Greenbrae, Calif. State health officials say the number of measles cases is up in California in 2019 and much of the increase is linked to overseas travel. Dr. Karen Smith, director of the California Department of Public Health, says the state recorded 38 measles cases as of Thursday, April 25, 2019, versus 11 around the same time last year. She says the state typically sees fewer than two dozen cases a year.

FILE - In this Jan. 29, 2015, file photo, pediatrician Charles Goodman vaccinates 1-year-old Cameron Fierro with the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine, or MMR vaccine, at his practice in Northridge, Calif. A new study published in the journal Science suggests the measles vaccine not only prevents measles, but may also help the body ward off other infections. State health officials say the number of measles cases is up in California this year and much of the increase is linked to overseas travel. Dr. Karen Smith, director of the California Department of Public Health, says the state recorded 38 measles cases as of Thursday, April 25, 2019, versus 11 around the same time last year. She says the state typically sees fewer than two dozen cases a year.

FILE - This Feb. 26, 2015 file photo shows students on the University of California, Los Angeles campus. A quarantine order was issued Thursday, April 25, 2019, for hundreds of students and staff at two Los Angeles universities who may have been exposed to measles and either have not been vaccinated or can't verify that they have immunity.

FILE - This Feb. 6, 2015, file photo shows a Measles, Mumps and Rubella, M-M-R vaccine on a countertop at a pediatrics clinic in Greenbrae, Calif. State health officials say the number of measles cases is up in California this year and much of the increase is linked to overseas travel. Dr. Karen Smith, director of the California Department of Public Health, says the state recorded 38 measles cases as of Thursday, April 25, 2019, versus 11 around the same time last year. She says the state typically sees fewer than two dozen cases a year.

The Cal State University, Los Angeles Student Union building is seen in Los Angeles Thursday, April 25, 2019. Hundreds of students and staff at two Los Angeles universities, including Cal State University, have been placed under quarantine because they may have been exposed to measles and either have not been vaccinated or cannot verify that they are immune, officials said Thursday.

Students walk past the Harriet and Charles Luckman Fine Arts Complex at the The Cal State University, Los Angeles campus Thursday, April 25, 2019. Hundreds of students and staff at two Los Angeles universities, including Cal State University, have been placed under quarantine because they may have been exposed to measles and either have not been vaccinated or cannot verify that they are immune, officials said Thursday.

Students walk past Royce Hall at the University of California, Los Angeles Thursday, April 25, 2019, in the Westwood section of Los Angeles. Hundreds of students and staff at two Los Angeles universities, including UCLA, have been placed under quarantine because they may have been exposed to measles. Officials say the people affected by the order either have not been vaccinated or cannot verify that they are immune.

Students sit on the lawn near Royce Hall at UCLA Thursday, April 25, 2019, in the Westwood section of Los Angeles. Hundreds of students and staff at two Los Angeles universities, including UCLA, have been placed under quarantine because they may have been exposed to measles. Officials say the people affected by the order either have not been vaccinated or cannot verify that they are immune.

Hundreds of students and staff at two Los Angeles universities have been placed under quarantine because they may have been exposed to measles and either have not been vaccinated or cannot verify that they are immune, officials said Thursday.

A student enters Boelter Hall at University of California, Los Angeles, Thursday, April 25, 2019, in the Westwood section of Los Angeles. Hundreds of students and staff at two Los Angeles universities, including UCLA, have been placed under quarantine because they may have been exposed to measles and either have not been vaccinated or cannot verify that they are immune, officials said Thursday.

Students drive to Cal State University, Los Angeles campus Thursday, April 25, 2019. Hundreds of students and staff at two Los Angeles universities, including Cal State University, have been placed under quarantine because they may have been exposed to measles. Officials say the people affected by the order either have not been vaccinated or cannot verify that they are immune.

People move about the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles Friday, April 26, 2019. Some students and employees possibly exposed to measles at two Los Angeles universities were still quarantined on campus or told to stay home Friday, but the numbers were dwindling as people were able to show they were vaccinated for the highly contagious disease. The measures were ordered this week at UCLA and California State University, Los Angeles.

A runner passes the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles Friday, April 26, 2019. Some students and employees possibly exposed to measles at two Los Angeles universities were still quarantined on campus or told to stay home Friday, but the numbers were dwindling as people were able to show they were vaccinated for the highly contagious disease. The measures were ordered this week at UCLA and California State University, Los Angeles.

A man on a scooter passes the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles Friday, April 26, 2019. Some students and employees possibly exposed to measles at two Los Angeles universities were still quarantined on campus or told to stay home Friday, but the numbers were dwindling as people were able to show they were vaccinated for the highly contagious disease. The measures were ordered this week at UCLA and California State University, Los Angeles.

President Donald Trump is urging Americans to get vaccinations to prevent the spread of measles. Trump, speaking at the White House on Friday, also said that he feels "young" and "vibrant" at age 72 and thinks he can beat Joe Biden "easily."

Los Angeles County Department of Public Health experts, Muntu Davis, Health Officer, left, and Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer answer questions regarding the measles response and the quarantine orders during a news conference in Los Angeles Friday, April 26, 2019. Hundreds of students and staff members at two Los Angeles universities were sent home this week in one of the most sweeping efforts yet to contain the spread of measles in the United States, where cases have reached a 25-year high.

A poster released by Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is seen as experts answer questions regarding the measles response and the quarantine orders in Los Angeles Friday, April 26, 2019. Hundreds of students and staff members at two Los Angeles universities were sent home this week in one of the most sweeping efforts yet by public health authorities to contain the spread of measles in the United States, where cases have reached a 25-year high.

More than 1,000 students and staff members at two Los Angeles universities were quarantined on campus or sent home this week in one of the most sweeping efforts yet by public health authorities to contain the spread of measles in the US.

Over 1,000 quarantined in measles scare at LA universities

FILE - In this June 30, 2015, file photo, Jennifer Wonnacott holds her son, Gavin, as he points to a sign showing supporters of a measure requiring nearly all California school children to be vaccinated, at a news conference after the State Bill 277 was signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in Sacramento, Calif. State health officials say the number of measles cases in 2019 is up in California with cases stretching across 11 counties and affecting patients from 5 months to 55 years of age. Dr. Karen Smith, director of the California Department of Public Health, says more than 76% of patients were not vaccinated or didn't receive the recommended two doses of vaccine. Fourteen of those infected had traveled overseas to countries including Philippines, Thailand, India and Ukraine. Measles symptoms include high fever, a cough and a rash.

Rich Pedroncelli

FILE - In this Feb. 6, 2015, file photo, a flyer educating parents about measles is displayed on a bulletin board at a pediatrics clinic in Greenbrae, Calif. State health officials say the number of measles cases is up in California in 2019 and much of the increase is linked to overseas travel. Dr. Karen Smith, director of the California Department of Public Health, says the state recorded 38 measles cases as of Thursday, April 25, 2019, versus 11 around the same time last year. She says the state typically sees fewer than two dozen cases a year.

Eric Risberg

FILE - In this Jan. 29, 2015, file photo, pediatrician Charles Goodman vaccinates 1-year-old Cameron Fierro with the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine, or MMR vaccine, at his practice in Northridge, Calif. A new study published in the journal Science suggests the measles vaccine not only prevents measles, but may also help the body ward off other infections. State health officials say the number of measles cases is up in California this year and much of the increase is linked to overseas travel. Dr. Karen Smith, director of the California Department of Public Health, says the state recorded 38 measles cases as of Thursday, April 25, 2019, versus 11 around the same time last year. She says the state typically sees fewer than two dozen cases a year.

Damian Dovarganes

FILE - This Feb. 26, 2015 file photo shows students on the University of California, Los Angeles campus. A quarantine order was issued Thursday, April 25, 2019, for hundreds of students and staff at two Los Angeles universities who may have been exposed to measles and either have not been vaccinated or can't verify that they have immunity.

Damian Dovarganes

FILE - This Feb. 6, 2015, file photo shows a Measles, Mumps and Rubella, M-M-R vaccine on a countertop at a pediatrics clinic in Greenbrae, Calif. State health officials say the number of measles cases is up in California this year and much of the increase is linked to overseas travel. Dr. Karen Smith, director of the California Department of Public Health, says the state recorded 38 measles cases as of Thursday, April 25, 2019, versus 11 around the same time last year. She says the state typically sees fewer than two dozen cases a year.

Eric Risberg

The Cal State University, Los Angeles Student Union building is seen in Los Angeles Thursday, April 25, 2019. Hundreds of students and staff at two Los Angeles universities, including Cal State University, have been placed under quarantine because they may have been exposed to measles and either have not been vaccinated or cannot verify that they are immune, officials said Thursday.

Damian Dovarganes

Students walk past the Harriet and Charles Luckman Fine Arts Complex at the The Cal State University, Los Angeles campus Thursday, April 25, 2019. Hundreds of students and staff at two Los Angeles universities, including Cal State University, have been placed under quarantine because they may have been exposed to measles and either have not been vaccinated or cannot verify that they are immune, officials said Thursday.

Damian Dovarganes

Students walk past Royce Hall at the University of California, Los Angeles Thursday, April 25, 2019, in the Westwood section of Los Angeles. Hundreds of students and staff at two Los Angeles universities, including UCLA, have been placed under quarantine because they may have been exposed to measles. Officials say the people affected by the order either have not been vaccinated or cannot verify that they are immune.

Jae C. Hong

Students sit on the lawn near Royce Hall at UCLA Thursday, April 25, 2019, in the Westwood section of Los Angeles. Hundreds of students and staff at two Los Angeles universities, including UCLA, have been placed under quarantine because they may have been exposed to measles. Officials say the people affected by the order either have not been vaccinated or cannot verify that they are immune.

Jae C. Hong

Hundreds of students and staff at two Los Angeles universities have been placed under quarantine because they may have been exposed to measles and either have not been vaccinated or cannot verify that they are immune, officials said Thursday.

Count of U.S. measles cases since 2010;

k.vineys

A student enters Boelter Hall at University of California, Los Angeles, Thursday, April 25, 2019, in the Westwood section of Los Angeles. Hundreds of students and staff at two Los Angeles universities, including UCLA, have been placed under quarantine because they may have been exposed to measles and either have not been vaccinated or cannot verify that they are immune, officials said Thursday.

Jae C. Hong

Students drive to Cal State University, Los Angeles campus Thursday, April 25, 2019. Hundreds of students and staff at two Los Angeles universities, including Cal State University, have been placed under quarantine because they may have been exposed to measles. Officials say the people affected by the order either have not been vaccinated or cannot verify that they are immune.

Damian Dovarganes

Map reveals the number of WHO reported measles cases around the world since 2018;

p.holm

People move about the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles Friday, April 26, 2019. Some students and employees possibly exposed to measles at two Los Angeles universities were still quarantined on campus or told to stay home Friday, but the numbers were dwindling as people were able to show they were vaccinated for the highly contagious disease. The measures were ordered this week at UCLA and California State University, Los Angeles.

Reed Saxon

A runner passes the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles Friday, April 26, 2019. Some students and employees possibly exposed to measles at two Los Angeles universities were still quarantined on campus or told to stay home Friday, but the numbers were dwindling as people were able to show they were vaccinated for the highly contagious disease. The measures were ordered this week at UCLA and California State University, Los Angeles.

Reed Saxon

A man on a scooter passes the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles Friday, April 26, 2019. Some students and employees possibly exposed to measles at two Los Angeles universities were still quarantined on campus or told to stay home Friday, but the numbers were dwindling as people were able to show they were vaccinated for the highly contagious disease. The measures were ordered this week at UCLA and California State University, Los Angeles.

Reed Saxon

President Donald Trump is urging Americans to get vaccinations to prevent the spread of measles. Trump, speaking at the White House on Friday, also said that he feels "young" and "vibrant" at age 72 and thinks he can beat Joe Biden "easily."

Los Angeles County Department of Public Health experts, Muntu Davis, Health Officer, left, and Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer answer questions regarding the measles response and the quarantine orders during a news conference in Los Angeles Friday, April 26, 2019. Hundreds of students and staff members at two Los Angeles universities were sent home this week in one of the most sweeping efforts yet to contain the spread of measles in the United States, where cases have reached a 25-year high.

Damian Dovarganes

A poster released by Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is seen as experts answer questions regarding the measles response and the quarantine orders in Los Angeles Friday, April 26, 2019. Hundreds of students and staff members at two Los Angeles universities were sent home this week in one of the most sweeping efforts yet by public health authorities to contain the spread of measles in the United States, where cases have reached a 25-year high.

Damian Dovarganes

More than 1,000 students and staff members at two Los Angeles universities were quarantined on campus or sent home this week in one of the most sweeping efforts yet by public health authorities to contain the spread of measles in the US.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — More than 1,000 students and staff members at two Los Angeles universities were quarantined on campus or sent home this week in one of the most sweeping efforts yet by public health authorities to contain the spread of measles in the U.S., where cases have reached a 25-year high .

By Friday afternoon, two days after Los Angeles County ordered the precautions, about 325 of those affected had been cleared to return after proving their immunity to the disease, through either medical records or tests, health officials said.

The action at the University of University of California, Los Angeles, and California State University, Los Angeles — which together have more than 65,000 students — reflected the seriousness with which public health officials are taking the nation's outbreak.

"Measles actually kills people, so we have to take that really seriously," said Dr. Armand Dorian, chief medical officer at USC Verdugo Hills Hospital.

Those under the quarantine were instructed to stay at home and avoid contact with others. They also were barred from traveling by public transportation, including planes, trains, buses or taxis. If they must travel for an emergency, they were told to notify public health officials first.

Anyone who violates it could be prosecuted, she said, but added that it appears everyone is cooperating so far. She didn't describe what penalties those who don't could face.

The number of measles cases in the U.S. has climbed to nearly 700 this year, including five in Los Angeles County and 38 altogether in California. The surge is blamed largely on parents not getting their children vaccinated because of misinformation about the supposed dangers.

Still, several students at Cal State-LA were shocked that their campus could be hit by a measles outbreak.

"When they were like measles, I was like, 'What? Where did that come from,'" said Sergio Dula, a communications major.

Eden Guerra, a kinesiology major, was surprised classes weren't canceled, noting, "This is like serious, like it's life, you know."

Cal State-LA reported 875 students, staff, faculty and visitors were placed under quarantine after possibly being exposed to measles earlier this month. About 250 had been cleared by Friday after proving they are immune to the disease.

At UCLA, 129 students and faculty were quarantined. All but 46 had been cleared by Friday.

Cal State-LA is primarily a commuter school, while many UCLA students live on campus. Some UCLA students were provided a quarantine area to stay in, university officials said, though they gave no details. Only one person remained there Friday.

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Those covered by the quarantine were singled out based on their possible exposure to either an infected UCLA student who had attended classes in two buildings on three days earlier this month, or a person with measles who visited a Cal State-LA library on April 11, officials said.

Those possibly exposed at Cal State-LA were located by tracking the records of people working in the library and those who logged on to its computers during the four hours the infected student was there.

Given the amount of time a person can remain contagious, officials said the quarantine would end at UCLA on Tuesday and at Cal State-LA on Thursday.

Around the country, lawmakers in California, New York, Washington state and Oregon have responded to the outbreak by moving to crack down on exemptions to vaccinating children. On Friday, President Donald Trump urged everyone to get vaccinated.

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Most of the cases are centered in two ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities in New York — one in Brooklyn, the other in suburban Rockland County.

In Rockland County, officials declared a state of emergency and at one point tried to bar unvaccinated children from schools and other public places, but a judge overturned the order.

Authorities ordered mandatory vaccinations earlier their month in the affected Brooklyn neighborhoods and threatened fines of $1,000. City officials said earlier this week that 12 people had been issued summonses.

Measles usually causes fever, runny nose and an all-over rash but in a small number of cases can lead to deadly complications such as pneumonia and swelling of the brain.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the vaccine for everyone over a year old, except for people who had the disease as children. Those who have had measles are immune.

Health officials at a news conference repeatedly urged people who haven't been exposed to measles to get vaccinated, saying the vaccine is safe and effective.

"Ninety percent of people who are not immunized or haven't had measles before, when they're exposed to measles are likely to get measles," Ferrer said.

———

Associated Press Writers Krysta Fauria and John Antczak contributed to this report.

Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.